BCtA SECRETARIAT

The BCtA Secretariat is a small team of professionals and support staff who manage the day-to-day operations of the program. BCtA is headquartered at the United Nations Development Programme Headquarters (UNDP) in New York, United States and has representatives in partner offices around the world.

Secretariat Staff

Natalie Africa

Natalie heads up the BCtA Secretariat, and is responsible for coordinating and expanding the BCtA activities. Natalie joined the BCtA from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) where she innovated and ran projects aimed at promoting women in business through access to finance, business training and supply chain opportunities. Before IFC, Natalie worked in structured trade and finance at Absa Bank, and also served as a diplomat with the South African Foreign Service. Natalie has also spent several years working on women’s development issues in the non-profit sector. Natalie holds an MA in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva and a BA in History from the University of Lyon III, France.

Amanda Gardiner

Amanda manages business outreach efforts for the BCtA Secretariat. Before joining the BCtA, Amanda was a Programme Director at the International Business Leaders Forum, where she led IBLF’s Economic Prosperity Programme and managed the Secretariat for the Voluntary Principles on Security & Human Rights. Amanda was previously a consultant for UNESCO, the European Cultural Foundation and the City Literary Institute, focusing on the role of culture and the arts in development. She has also worked in the Europe & Middle East policy division of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. She holds an MA from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service (Washington, DC, USA), and a Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY, USA).

Julliet Mwihaki Lubega,

Julliett is responsible for all financial and administrative duties for the BCtA. Julliet joins the BCtA from Kenya, bringing over 10 years of experience working in Africa with international non-governmental organizations including 6 years with UNDP. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, a Higher Diploma in Information Systems and a Diploma in Financial Management.